Forecast of ice cover thickness in coastal areas of the Kara and Okhotsk seas

Based on the CICE viscoplastic sea ice model, the ice cover of the Gulf of Ob and the northwestern Okhotsk Sea was simulated for the winter seasons of 2021/2022, 2022/2023, and 2023/2024. The description of the seasonal variability of sea ice characteristics in these areas and examples of their numerical modeling are given. Using atmospheric forcing based on the WRF-ARW nonhydrostatic atmospheric model, the sea ice thickness in the northwestern Okhotsk Sea was predicted for April 2024. A comparison of the forecasts with the ice maps of the Hydrometcentre of Russia and sea ice thickness measurements at the Ayan and Bolshoy Shantar stations gave satisfactory results.